"Stay away from the lake," the old man warned. "The devil lives in that lake." Bradley heard him, but he was compelled to go to the lake. When Bradley Matthews' wife, Lena, died he was cast adrift. An orphan, Lena, and his friend, William Lewis, also orphans, had come together in college and from that time had been inseparable. Now, all Bradley wants to do is get away from the tormented memories of what he's lost. He sets out on a journey to a small town on the Chesapeake, a place where he and Lena had created fond memories. He hopes this will help him come to terms with his loss and enable him to get on with his life. On the way, he stumbles across the small town of Copper Cove, a town hidden on a byway off the main road; sparsely populated and friendly on the surface; he soon discovers that it hides a secret that could cost him his life.